linking I. noun (-s) Etymology: from gerund of link (III) : liaison 2 II. adjective Etymology: from present participle of link (III) : being a speech sound that has an analogue in the spelling and that is pronounced before a vowel-initial word that follows without pause but not before a consonant or a pause < r-droppers often have a linking \r\ in four eighths > < in French there is a linking \z\ before the autres of les autres >